On Video: Ghandi
Ian, Mel and I sat down last Friday night to watch this epic of modern cinema: Ghandi. To match the theme, we picked up Indian take-away and settled down for what we realised would be a long night of screen-watching - three hours is a long time for any piece of cinematography so it was going to have to be good to hold our attention.
As it turned out, there were a few unanticipated distractions but despite that, the movie still did manage to catch my imagination. I was inspired most by the sheer determination of the Mahatma to stand by his principles, his unwaivering fight for the independence of India and his model of “non-violent resistance” - teaching people to fight for what they believed without any aggression or retaliation. The movie showed British soldiers clubbing men to death who did not raise a hand to defend themselves.
It really made me think about to what extent I stand up for what I believe in. There aren’t many humans who could or would devote themselves so strongly to a cause like Ghandi did and the movie showed the struggles and sacrifices he had to endure to do so. I don’t think I could ever be remotely as single-minded but it made me wonder how much time I spend on insignificant or unnecessary thoughts and actions.
I saw the movie many years ago and I thought it was very moving. I would like see it againone day.
I remember seeing this movie when it first came out. I must have been, what 8 or 9? Dad a Dad and my grandfather took me to see it. Looking back it was a ridiculous movie to subjecta child to. Notwithstanding the fact that it’s very long, the message and the politics would have been totally lost on me. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again as an adult. The lead actor - is it Ben Kingsley - is supposed to be very good. Did you know that Mahatma means “great soul”, by the way?
I really don’t remember how many times I’ve watched this movie, probably 5 or more and everytime it has taught me something and made me more aware of my own self. My first experience was as a kid and it didn’t make much sense then but as time passed I could clearly see and read more into it. How very truly and how simply he proves one great dogma of life - ‘You cannot make peace with violent ways’, the path to peace and non violence is through non violence itself. He truly was the mahatma, a visionary who saw beyond his times. what is equally touching or probably a bit more even is how he stood his ground on equality and justice, just as Martin Luther King Jr. said: